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Posts Tagged ‘Ruby’s Bar’

Coney Island Is The Place to Celebrate New Year’s Day

Posted in Events, News, tagged Coney ISland Polar Bear Swim, Freezin for a Reason, January 1, New Year's Day, Ruby's Bar on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Formal Pose, Members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club at New Year's Swim. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Formal Pose, Members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. January 1, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s New Year’s Day Swim is wacky fun, but they’re Freezin’ for a Reason. Support a Bear and make a pledge now. According to the Bears’ website, “There is no fee for swimmers or observers but we encourage all participants to make a voluntary donation to our partner Camp Sunshine.” The Coney Island Plunge has already raised more than $20,000!

On January 1, 2010, more than one thousand people took the plunge, including about 140 members of the Polar Bear Club (ATZ, “By the Numbers: Coney Island New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim 2010,” January 8, 2010). Tomorrow’s dip in the ocean is at 1 pm sharp, but get there early for festivities on the Boardwalk. You can register, pledge and buy Polar Bear Tee’s on the Boardwalk from 11 am.

Ruby

On New Year’s Day Ruby’s Bar & Grill will be the place to raise a toast to the New Year and to the real Coney Island. If you missed the last of the “Last Call” party/protests at Ruby’s in November, tomorrow may be your final last chance to have a drink at Ruby’s. Of course, we hope not. Ruby’s & the other evicted Boardwalk businesses made Curbed’s 2010 List of Threatened Neighborhood Places that are not dead yet. What to do? Take a cue from the folks who showed up at November 6th’s Rally, Party and Last Call and bring along a hand-made sign. Ruby’s will open at 10:30 am. Live music from 12:30 till around 4 pm.

American History Vanishing Before My Eyes. Coney Island Boardwalk, November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Ruby’s Parties On, Rubys Host To Celebrate Birthday at Bratva

Posted in Events, Food & Drink, tagged Bratva Bar, Coney Island, Ruby's Bar, Rubys Host on November 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Ruby's Rally, Party & Last Call. November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

The venerable Ruby’s Bar & Grill, which was evicted by new kid on the Boardwalk Luna Park, is partying on! Word comes from Rubys Host that Ruby’s will be open one mo’ time on Saturday, November 20, though they were supposed to “vacate the premises” by today. Cheers to the headline on Grub Street: “Ruby’s Digs Nails Into Boardwalk, Opens Past Move-Out Date.”

Beer will be served from 11 till 7 pm for final last call X 3. Robert “Bluesman” Ross, who wowed us at previous shows at Cha Cha’s and Coney Island USA, will be singing the blues on the Boardwalk in front of Ruby’s from 1 till 4 pm. Drink up, because all proceeds go toward the Save Ruby’s Fund. The legal wrangling will begin in court on Monday, when a judge will be asked to sign an Order to Show Cause to prevent the eviction of Ruby’s and 7 other Boardwalk Mom & Pops. The proceedings are expected to drag on for some time. Other businesses fighting the eviction are Cha Cha’s, Paul’s Daughter, Grill House, Gyro Corner, Shoot the Freak, Beer Island and Coney Island Souvenir Shop.

Ruby's Rally, Party & Last Call. November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

On Sunday at 3pm, Rubys Host will celebrate her birthday at Bratva, the new Russian bar on the north side of Surf Avenue. “I moved my B-day party to Bratva on Sunday after the Bears swim – u should come by – 3 pm – live music etc,” says the invite. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Sanchez of Coney Island band Neptune Jam is playing till 7 pm.

Bratva Bar is an upscale sports bar and restaurant across the street from Coney Island USA and down the block from the new Luna Park. Does Luna’s management, which plans to replace Ruby’s with an upscale year-round sports bar, realize the neighborhood already has a new upscale year-round sports bar? The north side has long been considered the wrong side of Surf for seasonal amusements since it gets very little foot traffic. But year-round bars and restaurants such as Footprints Cafe seem to do fine. Bratva opened this summer: “We’re a casual lounge owned for and by good old friends and welcome you to join us for beer, cocktails and a wide range of American pub and Russian-style snacks and meals. We’re major motorcycle enthusiasts, but our bar is not a a biker clubhouse. It is a place to meet new friends and have a good time.”

Ruby's Rally, Party & Last Call. November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

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Friends of Ruby’s Bar Launch Petition, Plan Nov 6 Rally

Posted in Events, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, Coney Island Development Corporation, Monday Morning Massacre, petition, Ruby's Bar, Zamperla on November 3, 2010| 3 Comments »

Ruby's Bar & Grill, Coney Island. May 28, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Despite the Monday Morning Massacre of the Boardwalk businesses, Halloween was not Ruby’s last day after all. The bar’s devotees have put out a call via Facebook and email to “all Ruby’s family and friends”: Ruby’s will open, possibly for the last time, on Saturday, November 6th. “We are not going quietly, ” Rubys host said in an email. “Come out and show your support.” The rally/party begins around 12:30 pm and goes on till 6 pm or later.

On Facebook, supporters were urged to bombard Zamperla, the Mayor and local pols, and the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) with e-mails and phone calls. “Ruby’s has been told they have 15 days to get out. If you want to see them stay they need your help please CALL or send letters.” A petition “Renew Ruby’s Lease” is on the Petition Site as well as Facebook. By 1 am on Wednesday morning, the petition had nearly 200 signatures. The goal is 10,000, but time is short. The petition begins…

Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Ferrari,

It has been brought to my attention that a historic piece of Coney Island is being kicked out. How does a business that has been there since 1934 get kicked out?

The Last Night at Ruby's Bar. October 31, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

While one of our Facebook friends said she “unliked” the CIDC’s very popular “Coney Island” page in protest, others went there to post links to the petition or voice their displeasure. “I’m posting to protest the eviction of Ruby’s from Coney Island, a 76-year-old family business that is being cruelly ousted,” one poster wrote. “If this plan goes forward, I hereby pledge not to patronize any of the newly-developed businesses and will tell my family, friends, and colleagues to do the same.” UPDATE: This afternoon, the CIDC asserted control over their “Coney Island” page by removing some, but not all, of the links posted by irate fans and removing the link button. “I guess you want to silence us hmm..,” a poster wrote.

Nine small businesses on the Boardwalk are getting the boot from City-owned land in Coney Island with nary a peep nor a press release from the CIDC/NYCEDC. It seems to us that all of a sudden the City is a very silent partner in its much touted and (until now) highly regarded public-private partnership with the amusement operator. Instead of holding the usual joint press conference, the City is distancing itself from the bad news and letting Zamperla play the role of the bad guy.

According to the NYCEDC’s Coney Island Amusement Operator RFP, which was won by Zamperla in February: “Responses to this RFP should articulate whether they include or exclude these [Boardwalk] structures or footprints, beginning at the earliest in Year 2 of operations.” But it also says “The Selected Respondent may propose to include subtenants for portions of their proposed operations, but such subtenants, and such subtenant agreements, shall be subject to NYCEDC approval.”

In other words, the City, which owns the property, has final say which businesses come or go.